admissions Nikki is also a member of the Saratoga Hospital Founda-tion Board of Trustees, serving the region by providing access to excellence in health care in a supportive and caring environment. She recently has taken on the lead role in the foundation’s video marketing initiative. A member of the Academy for Girls class of 2008, Nikki graduated from Ithaca College with a bachelor’s degree in international business and marketing. She played lacrosse as a student at both AAG and Ithaca College. She lives in Saratoga Springs with her husband.
Pictured is Tom Tuttle ’82 speaking with his scholarship recipients in June.
Elissa Smith P’23, ’25, ’26 Elissa oversees operations for SPEC Consulting, a multi-disciplined engineering and design firm specializing in petrochemicals, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and energy-related services for industrial clients. Elissa attended Quinnipiac University where she earned a bachelor’s degree. After spending nearly a decade in health care, Elissa welcomed the challenge of providing structure and growth to SPEC Consulting, a small firm, engineering solutions for large clients. She began there as an office manager in 2010. Since then, the company has doubled in size, serving clients throughout the U.S. and abroad. Elissa’s role expanded to include oversight of company financials, client contracts, marketing, and human resources. In January, 2021, she began a new role as Chief Administrative Officer and partner. A native of the Capital Region, Elissa is an active member of the community. Camp Chingachgook, a YMCA camp located in Lake George, N.Y., is one of her passions. She serves on the advisory council as an alumna, parent of current campers, and advocate for the Chingachgook mission to provide a summer camp experience for underprivileged youth. Elissa is also a member of the SPAC Action Council, a fundraising committee working in unison with the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in public relations and planning of fundraising activities. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Sage Estate Homeowners Association and is a member of the Marketing and Enrollment Committee for The Albany Academies. She and her husband, Justin ’96, have three children, Lorelai, Grant, and Evelyn. Lorelai ’23 and Evelyn ’26 are in their eighth year at Albany Academy for Girls and Grant started at The Albany Academy this fall. They live in Menands.
Private school education more important than ever. Pass it on. The last two years in independent school admissions have essentially been a microcosm of the world in which we’ve all existed in that period: characterized by uncertainty, lack of predictability, disruption of the normal flow, and requiring new solutions to new problems. School leaders who respond strategically and with an eye toward innovation and responsiveness will succeed, and those who expect to continue to see the same outcomes with the same recruitment strategies will not. A few years ago, the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) worked with a private company to develop a comprehensive understanding of who our customers are, and what problems they’re looking to hire us to solve. NAIS identified four “Jobs To Be Done,” the four primary challenges people look to independent schools to overcome. COVID-19 didn’t upend what we learned from that study, but it certainly forced us to look at those jobs in a different context. People who look to The Albany Academies to prepare their child for admission to elite colleges and universities will still do so, but now they also need us to help fill gaps in their child’s education created by distance learning. Our talented and expert academic team is ready
to take on that challenge. The harder part is conveying the value of independent school education to families who are looking at school, and their finances, differently. When there is no certainty that school will look how we expect it to, and when we realize that our income can disappear based on factors we have no control of, why should we invest in a private school education? The reality is that the value of a private school education has probably never been higher. During the pandemic, we’ve been more responsive to the needs of our families because we have resources (space, expertise, alumni support) that our public school counterparts simply don’t have. We need to utilize those same resources to convey the value of an Academies education. And alumni and alumnae support—along with our current and past families—is our most important resource in that endeavor. We hope that you’ll look for opportunities to tell prospective families about the impact that The Albany Academies had on you and your family. And if you’d ever like to make a direct referral, your friends in the Admissions Office would love to hear from you.
The Albany Academies magazine
fall 2021 5
